


Sweet Pea Drabbles

by southsidewrites



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Drabble Collection, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, southside serpents
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-21
Updated: 2019-08-21
Packaged: 2020-09-23 15:24:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 992
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20342353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/southsidewrites/pseuds/southsidewrites
Summary: A collection of drabbles focused on Sweet Pea.





	Sweet Pea Drabbles

**Author's Note:**

> Drabbles in this Collection:  
1) What's Your Passion?: Sweet Pea works on his college application essay with the help of the Serpents (no pairing)

_What are you passionate about?_

Sweet Pea stared at the computer screen, the bright blueish-white light starting to make his head hurt. It went this way every time, though. He’d open the rickety old laptop—a hand-me-down from Jughead—open the document, and just stare at the screen. No matter how many times he stared at the damn prompt, though, he couldn’t seem to come up with an answer.

And Mrs. Lewis, the ancient guidance counselor, hadn’t been much help.

_“Well, what are you passionate about Nathaniel?”_ she’d asked, once again ignoring his request to call him Sweet Pea.

It had taken every ounce of self-control Sweet Pea had not to snap at her. If he knew the answer to that, he wouldn’t be sitting in her cramped little office that smelt like stale coffee and cats in the first place.

He wracked his brain through the list of topics she had rattled off: sports, clubs, hobbies, jobs, achievements. It just made him more frustrated. It’s not like he could write all about being a member of a semi-illegal street gang to the college admissions department, after all. What else did he know, though? What else did he have?

Sweet Pea let out a low sigh and slammed the laptop shut. Why was he so concerned about it anyway? It’s not like he _wanted_ to go to college—it was just what everyone seemed to expect. Even F.P. had been bugging him about it. He couldn’t even walk into the Wyrm these days without someone harassing him about how his essay was going.

There was a knock on the door, and Sweet Pea had to bite back a sharp response. “Come in,” he called.

The door creaked open, and Toni walked in.

All she had to do was look at the laptop closed in front of him to know what was going on. “Working on your essay again?”

“Not anymore,” he grumbled. With a huff, he got up from his chair and flopped onto the couch. “I think it’s about time I called it.”

“How far did you get?” she asked, taking a seat on the chair across from him. Her dark eyes were narrowed with concern, and Sweet Pea really didn’t appreciate the oddly gentle tone she was taking with him.

“I copied the prompt into a Word doc.”

Toni’s eyes widened, and she bit her lip awkwardly. “Oh, well, um—”

“Don’t even say it, Topaz,” he snapped. “I know. It’s due in two days, and I’m fucked.”

“You’re not fucked, Sweet Pea.” Her concerned expression shifted into an annoyed one. “Seriously, dude, you need to get out of your own head and just write something already.”

“What the hell am I supposed to write?”

“What do you love?”

He groaned, throwing his hands up as he flew off the couch to pace. “If I knew that, I’d have written the damn essay already!”

She rolled her eyes, crossing her arms. “Just answer the damn question.”

He rolled his eyes, looking down at her with a steely gaze. “My friends, the Serpents, my bike—but none of that is exactly a _passion_.”

“Oh my God, Sweet Pea, it’s like you’re being intentionally dense. Just write about your friends, you know, the people you care most about in the world? That sounds pretty damn passionate to me!”

He bit his lip, his eyes narrowing as he considered her words. “You really think that’ll work?”

She groaned loudly, getting up from the chair and starting toward the door. “I do, and I’m leaving. Feel free to send it to me when you’re done if you want a proofread.” With a final stern look, she walked out the door, letting it fall shut behind her.

~

“So, kid, you planning on opening that anytime soon?” Hog Eye asked, glancing pointedly at the envelope sitting on the bar in front of Sweet Pea. The simple white envelope was emblazoned with a very prominent Sweetwater College logo. “I’ve given you one beer to calm the nerves, and that’s really all I can justify before five o’clock.”

Sweet Pea clutched the now-empty bottle tightly, his knuckles turning white. “What am I going to tell people if it says no?”

Hog Eye let out a low breath. Glancing around the bar, he tossed aside a towel and leaned against the bar top. “Listen, kid. I didn’t go to college, so I don’t have much advice. What I can tell you, though, is that you’re a bright kid, brighter than you give yourself credit for. Even if that college is dumb enough to say no, you’re going to find something else.” He smiled softly. “And hey, know that you always have a place here. I may not be able to give you great hours, but we’ll make sure you have enough.”

“Thanks, Hog Eye.” Sweet Pea’s lips curved into a barely-perceptible smile. “Really, thank you.”

“Anytime, Sweet Pea.” He reached over and slapped the younger man lightly on the shoulder. “Now, open your damn letter.”

Sweet Pea took a deep breath and picked up the letter. He squeezed his eyes shut as he ripped open the seal. Then, he slipped the letter out, and his eyes widened.

Across the bar, the door slammed open, and Toni, Jughead, Joaquin, and Fangs walked in. All of them were laughing at something, and Fangs was trying to grab Jughead in a headlock. When she saw Sweet Pea, Toni’s eyes lit up.

“Sweet Pea, is that—”

“Yeah,” he choked out, turning around to face them. He could barely contain his grin. “Guys, I made it!”

They all erupted in cheers, closing the distance to pull him into a messy tangle of hugs, fist bumps, and laughter.

“I knew you would, man,” Joaquin said, grinning. “Congrats.”

Sweet Pea just shook his head, still in awe. “And it’s all thanks to you guys.”

“_Us?”_ Fangs asked, perplexed. “What did we do?”

He smiled softly. “Everything.” 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much for reading! If you enjoyed this, please let me know and check out my other Sweet Pea fics!


End file.
